Who could OU football play in CFP? Breaking down Sooners' playoff candidates, scenarios
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NORMAN — OU is headed to the College Football Playoff.
The Sooners finished the regular season 10-2 and 6-2 in SEC play and currently sit at No. 8 in the CFP rankings released Tuesday.
The questions that remain: where will they play and against which team?
If the playoff began following the penultimate rankings, OU would host Alabama in a rematch in the first round. But with the Crimson Tide playing in the SEC title game this weekend, you’d think it’d jump with a win and fall with a loss. Right?
We’ll find out soon enough during the CFP selection show at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN.
But until then, here’s a rundown of a few of the most likely candidates OU could play in the College Football Playoff and some scenarios for conference championship weekend:
Texas A&M
If Texas Tech defeats BYU in the Big 12 Championship Game and Alabama defeats Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, the Sooners are likely to drop one spot to No. 9 and travel to College Station, Texas, to take on No. 8-seeded Texas A&M. Let’s say BYU and Georgia win their respective conference championship games, I could still see this same matchup. Sign me up for a trip to Kyle Field and an old Big 12 foe.
Notre Dame
If Tech beats BYU, but Georgia gives Alabama its third loss, OU will likely stay put at No. 8. In this scenario, Notre Dame would probably jump the Crimson Tide and Cougars, and end up traveling to Norman for a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup. This is, of course, if the committee sticks to ranking the Irish ahead of Miami.
Texas Tech
The only way I see the Sooners traveling to West Texas is if BYU defeats Texas Tech and Alabama defeats Georgia. The Tide might jump Georgia, Tech would drop a few spots and BYU would rise, causing every other team, except for maybe Oregon, to move down at least a spot. A potential matchup could be No. 10 OU at No. 7 Texas Tech.
BYU
This one is a stretch, but if BYU and Alabama both win and the committee doesn’t quite move the Crimson Tide into the top four or the Cougars into the top seven, the Sooners would likely end up at No. 9 heading to Provo. The first three scenarios are the likeliest, but Selection Sunday can get crazy.
CFP schedule 2025-26
Selection show: Sunday, Dec. 7
First round: Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 20
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Thursday, Jan. 1
Semifinals: Thursday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 9
National championship: Monday, Jan. 19
Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: College Football Playoff candidates, scenarios for Oklahoma Sooners
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